THE

TOWNERTIMES

People’s Choice winners

Insight into the first exhibitions

Review of the Ravilious talk

Latest events and information

www.friendsofthetowner.org.uk

No. 69Summer 2009£1.50

2 The Towner Times

TOWNER HAS OPENED and it was well worth the wait! Visitor numbers have exceeded expectations and Eastbourne has secured a new gallery that is set to become one of the leading centres for visual arts in the South East.

These are indeed exciting times for the Friends. As well as the gallery opening, there is a new editorial team for The Towner Times and this current issue demonstrates a fresh approach to its production. We hope you like it as a lot of hard work has gone into it. We have also produced a well-balanced programme of events for the next season.

As always, we are receptive to your comments and suggestions. Initially, some members expressed disappointment that Towner has not proved a suitable venue for all our events. It has therefore been decided that music evenings will be held in the Gold Room at the Winter Garden from now on, which is in the process of substantial refurbishment.

The acoustics are excellent and the capacity is much greater which will enable us to accommodate much larger audiences.

Membership numbers of the Friends have increased dramatically and there are now well over 670 members. Our target is to break the one thousand barrier and there is no reason why we can’t achieve this.

‘We have produced a well-balanced programme of events for the next season’Since the old gallery closed we have been fortunate in having Geoffrey Mantle as our Chairman. His determined leadership has ensured that the organisation did not lose momentum and we all owe him a debt of gratitude. Geoffrey has decided that it is time for him to step down from the Chair but we are delighted that he remains a member of the management committee and will continue as Editor-in-chief of The Towner Times.

Enjoy the summer.

Geoffrey Williams Chairman

Welcome to the summer issue

THE TOWNER TIMES

THE

TOWNERTIMES

People’s Choice winners

Insight into the first exhibitions

Review of the Ravilious talk

Latest events and information

www.friendsofthetowner.org.uk

No. 69Summer 2009£1.50

Message from the Patron

I am thrilled to be able to write to you in this very special brochure commemorating the opening of the new Towner Gallery.

My family has been very closely connected with Eastbourne for many generations and my wife and I, and our son William Burlington, always enjoy visiting the town. These visits will be enormously enhanced now that the new Towner is open.

It is remarkable that, in the uncertain economic times in which we live, Eastbourne has a wonderful new beacon of inspiration for everyone to enjoy. With the permanent collection as well as the performances, workshops, conferences and other events planned for the new Towner I am sure that it will quickly become a vibrant centre for community life.

The Duke of Devonshire KCVO, CBE, DL

Summer 2009 3

Contents

FEATURES Towner opening 4 Speaker profile Sir Nicholas Serota 7 The architect Rick Mather 8

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS Nowhere Man Light and shade 9 People’s Choice We have chosen! 11

PREVIOUS EVENTS & EXHIBITIONSEvent review Eric Ravilious talk 15Exhibition reviews Lost Horizons 16Collection Connections 17

LOCAL ARTIST PROFILEElda Abramson 19

BRIGHT YOUNG PIANISTSThe Norah Sande Piano Award 20

FRIENDS EVENTSFriends events Come and join us! 21Paul Campion Music talk 22Sara Cooper Art talk 23Angela Bic and Robin Davis Piano & song 25Dave Shepherd Quintet Jazz evening 26 Douglas Skeggs Art in the garden of God 26Dr Johnson’s tercentenary Supper 27Julian Lloyd Webber Masterclass 28

EVENTS CALENDAR Friends of the Towner 31

There was a real buzz about the place

as Towner opened to the public on

Saturday 4 April. In the days leading

up to the opening, the gallery was

busy with parties and exclusive

presentations including a fabulous

evening for the Friends.

On the Friday night Towner was

opened by Tate Director, Sir Nicholas

Serota (below) with 800 VIPs present.

On Saturday the public opening was

undertaken by

David Dimbleby

and our Mayor,

Greg Szanto.

Towner opens in spectacular style...

TOWNER OPENING

4 The Towner Times

From left to right: Diane Bagley, Assistant Director, Community Services at the Council; Matthew Rowe, Artistic Director, Towner; Ron Cussons; Geoffrey Mantle and Council Leader, David Tutt

Above left and right: Matthew Rowe makes a speech to the Friends

Far left: Friends enjoying the Café Bar

Left: Potter, Grayson Perry on the VIP night

Summer 2009 5

SPEAKER PROFILE

SIR NICHOLAS WAS APPOINTED Director of the Tate Gallery in 1988 – the UK’s national gallery of international and contemporary Modern art and British art from 1500 to the present day.

Previous to this he was Director of the Whitechapel Gallery London. He was awarded a knighthood in 1999. He has also been the Chairman of the Turner Prize Jury and was the driving force behind the creation of Tate Modern, which was opened in 2000.

‘Towner has recently been confirmed as a partner of the Tate’Sir Nicholas was born in 1946 and grew up in Hampstead, north London. He was educated at Haberdashers’ Aske’s School and then read Economics at Cambridge University before switching to History of Art. He completed a Master’s Degree at the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London under the supervision of Michael Kitson and Anita Brookner. His thesis was on the work of J M W Turner.

In 1969 he became the Chairman of the new Young Friends of the Tate Gallery with a membership of 750. They took over a building in Pear Place south of Waterloo

Bridge, arranging lectures and Saturday painting classes for local children.

In 1970 Sir Nicholas joined the Arts Council of Great Britain’s Visual Arts Department as a regional exhibitions officer and, in 1973, was made Director of the Museum of Modern Art Oxford, where he organised some outstanding exhibitions.

Towner has recently been confirmed as a partner of the Tate, it was therefore particularly appropriate that Sir Nicholas opened the new Towner. Towner will now be able to show works from the Tate Collection and call on its knowledge and experience to support the work of the new gallery.

Sir Nicholas SerotaDirector of the Tate

Summer 2009 7

THE ARCHITECT

Rick MatherTowner’s creative force

RICK MATHER IS THE ARCHITECT behind Towner and heads up a busy international practice that’s no stranger to art galleries.

It’s behind the masterplan for London’s Southbank Centre, the largest arts complex in the world, and a number of award-winning projects. Indeed, Towner itself was recently shortlisted in Condé Nast Traveller’s Innovation & Design Awards in the Global Design category.

He says of Towner’s opening: ‘It is great to see Towner finished and the Collection happily in place. The determination of the client to see the building done right and the care and thought put into selecting the furnishing and installing the exhibition is a wonderful compliment to the building and much appreciated by us architects.’

8 The Towner Times

Rick Mather and Geoffrey Mantle at Towner’s opening

Towner floor plans

Second1 Café Bar2 Junction Box3 Exhibition Gallery4 Offices

First1 Fuse Box2 Art Box3 Light Box4 Collection Store5 Collection Gallery

Ground1 Foyer2 Shop3 Exhibition Halls

Light and shade

Exhibition Gallery Until Saturday 20 June Entry free

Summer 2009 9

NOWHERE MAN

IVAN NAVARRO ALWAYS WORKS with fluorescent and/or incandescent light and always shop-bought standard stuff, nothing’s specially made. As he grew up under Pinochet’s dictatorship, it’s hardly surprising that there’s also a political edge to his work.

Nowhere Man was specially commissioned by Towner and the 11 pieces – there were originally 14 but it was decided 11 fitted the space perfectly – are based on the 1972 Munich Olympic figures by Otl Aicher. With Iván’s interpretation a link is forged between the human body and the industrial production of lighting. The figures are universal, neither man nor woman, they could be anyone.

In the middle of the room is Die Again, after Tony Smith’s huge cube, Die, from 1962 but Iván’s version is a whole lot bigger, something you can walk into. Within the star on the floor, the light seems to drop away forever. The gentle rhythmic lull of a version of the Beatles’ Nowhere Man draws you into hypnotic isolation – good or bad.

The song lyrics link Die Again to the figures around the walls outside.

In the Foyer window is Iván’s piece You Sit, You Die. The seemingly innocent deckchair, becomes more sinister when you realise printed on it are the names of all the people put to death on the electric chair in the US state of Florida between 1924 and 2001.

Next in the Exhibition GalleryIn the Eyes of Others – Jodie Carey 10 July-6 September

Three giant and majestic chandeliers, painstakingly created from plaster cast human bones will be the next installation. These amazing one-tonne creations by Sussex-born Jodie Carey form Towner’s second commissioned exhibition and will be suspended from the ceiling in a darkened gallery.

■ The exclusive free Friends’ preview is on Thursday 9 July, from 6-8pm. Please write to Wendy Bishop, see page 21.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Abstract pDEREK BOSHIER (b1937)

Vista City Oil on canvas, 1964

In the mid-60s Boshier adopted a hard-edged, geometric style in his work, alluding to architectural structures and city grid plans.

Voter’s comment ‘Draws you into the labyrinth of a city.’

THE 200 PIECES PUT FORWARD for the public vote were shortlisted from the Towner Collection and favourites were chosen through an interactive voting process. Here are the winners of the seven different categories.

Summer 2009 11

w

We have chosen!

Collection GalleryUntil Sunday 30 August Entry free

12 The Towner Times

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Architecture & Interiors u

HAROLD MOCKFORD (b1932)

When the Lights Come On Oil on hardboard, 1989

Mockford is locally based and this image depicts the Old Town.

His rich use of colour gives his paintings a dreamlike almost

surreal quality.

Voter’s comment ‘I’ve always liked his quirky approach to the

Sussex landscape.’

Summer 2009 13

w

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Seascapes u

AMY REEVE-FOWKES (1886-1968)

Eastbourne Front in a Storm Watercolour and pencil on paper, 1930

Married to the first curator of the Towner, Reeve-Fowkes mainly used

watercolour. This seascape image captures the crashing stormy waves.

Voter’s comment ‘A familiar view, the power conveyed is impressive.’

t Eric Ravilious (previous page)ERIC RAVILIOUS (1903-1942)

Cuckmere Haven Watercolour on paper, 1939

Ravilious’ eye for design is evident in the sweeping curves of the river contrasted with the straight-hatched lines in the foreground.

Voter’s comment ‘It’s one of my favourite places to walk. The painting expresses the lushness of the valley.’

t ContemporaryMARINE HUGONNIER (b1969)

Towards Tomorrow Photographs, 2001

Hugonnier caught the sun setting behind the horizon of a calm sea and overcast sky at the Bering Strait in Alaska.

Voter’s comment ‘I love the light of storm clouds over the sea and the light on the horizon just draws you in.’

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

Did you know...

■ The aim of the vote was to get the public involved with what is going on at Towner

■ Over 350 people voted online or after viewing free CDs, containing the 200 images

■ The winners, as well as five or six other images from each category make up the People’s Choice exhibition

14 The Towner Times

On the front cover...

Landscapesu

CHARLES KNIGHT (1901-1990)

Ditchling Beacon Oil on canvas, c1930

Born in Hove, Sussex, Knight studied at Brighton Art School and the Royal Academy,

where he learned the technique of painting in oil over a tempera base.

Voter’s comment ‘It’s a very “sculptural” landscape, excellent reflections’.

t People & FiguresDUNCAN GRANT (1885-1978)

Angel Study for Christ in Glory: Design for Berwick Church Murals Gouache and pencil on paper, c1942

This angel is a preparatory drawing for one of the four angels in ‘Christ in Glory’ who are worshipping the enthroned Christ.

Voter’s comment ‘I like this picture for its colours and spirit.’

Summer 2009 15

Eric Ravilious talk

Review by Frances Lloyd OBE

PREVIOUS EVENTS

WITH TOWNER HOUSING the largest collection of his work in the world and the fact that he was an Eastbourne man, Eric Ravilious is always popular. He proved a big draw when the Friends recently welcomed writer and historian, James Russell to the Gold Room in the Winter Garden to share his knowledge about the shops featured in Ravilious’ seminal book, High Street.

The book, published 70 years ago, featured lithographs of 24 high street shops of the late 1930s and James Russell has been on a quest to identify and locate the shops – all real places but, in many cases, offering only tantalising clues as to their name or location. Only 2000 copies of the book were printed and what is left of remaining copies are much sought after, particularly

as the lithographic plates were destroyed during the Blitz. Now, the Mainstone Press of Norwich has published a new limited edition entitled The Story of High Street, which reveals James Russell’s findings.

Lecturer and authority on Ravilious, Dr Alan Powers placed the book in historical context, sharing new and significant insights into its conception, production and publication. Two other experts, Christopher Whittick – the Ravilious archivist at East Sussex Record Office – and Tim Mainstone of Mainstone Press, also made contributions to this engrossing evening.

■ Go to www.the mainstonepress.com for more about The Story of High Street

16 The Towner Times

PREVIOUS EXHIBITIONS

Lost Horizons Exhibition Hall 1

Review by Liz Silvester

IF THERE WAS ONE EXHIBITION likely to elicit the response ‘I just don’t get it’, it was Lost Horizons. The exhibition was the culmination of a year-long programme across East Sussex and formed a substantial part of Towner’s award-winning Outreach & Inclusion programme.

In practical terms, this meant seven artists collaborating with different groups of young people and families who live in poverty and/or isolation in Eastbourne and the surrounding areas. The work came together in different workshop stages before each artist could turn what they had into the exhibition pieces that were on show.

Feedback from some members of the public about the exhibition was that there were no credits on the work and little interpretation to explain it. I put this to Towner’s Outreach & Inclusion Manager, Richard Beales.

‘With exhibitions of this type, people often suspend their critical eye,’ he explains. ‘I wanted them to react as they usually would rather than thinking how good or worthy it is and labels would have set them up to think exactly that.

‘Some of the exhibits were the result of a couple of afternoons collaboration, while others went on over the course of a year.

Young people don’t sift and question things; they absorb, react and move on. I wanted this experience for visitors to the exhibition. People assume there’s a hidden agenda but rather it’s about looking at what’s there.

‘I admit, maybe it would have been better to have known the background to some of the pieces but the gallery assistants did help immensely with that,’ he concludes.

It’s obvious that some dark, disturbing topics such as drug misuse and child abuse were covered by some of the exhibits, but others simply existed; giving you lots to think about – or not, as the case may be...

Photo: Rob Walker

Summer 2009 17

Collection ConnectionsExhibition Hall 2

Review by Liz Silvester

ON THE WHOLE the Collection Connections exhibition was received very favourably but a few people walked in, looked at the cardboard boxes and didn’t venture much further. So we asked Education & Learning Manager, Helen McAleer, to explain the background to the exhibition.

‘In the interim period when Towner was closed, I went through the Collection with curator, Sara Cooper, and chose 30 works, divided into four themes,’ she says. ‘We then selected three local schools and partnered contemporary artists with the art teachers in those schools.

‘A wonderful way of getting young people to engage with art’‘The schools each selected a theme and the artwork that made up that theme went into the school for a total of eight weeks. The artist went in once a week and encouraged the children’s response to the artwork, which is what was on show.

‘The students were involved at every stage. They came into the gallery during installation to see how the technicians work, they made sure they had the right credits and really got a taste of what goes on behind the scenes. They were also invited along with their

families during the launch week, so they really felt involved – and proud of what they’d achieved.

‘The criticisms about the exhibition seemed to come from people who hadn’t read the interpretation panels or spoken to the gallery assistants who are very knowledgeable and happy to help.

‘I wanted to see how else the Collection can be used and the whole process has enabled me to put together a Teacher’s Pack, which was launched at the opening. All in all, it was a very positive process.’

This was a wonderful way of getting young people in Eastbourne to engage with art in the Collection and encourage them into the gallery. And once you understand the process behind the exhibits, it becomes clear there was a whole lot more than a load of cardboard boxes.

Summer 2009 19

BORN IN ASCOT, Elda Abramson’s family moved to the States where she lived until the late 60s, criss-crossing from the East to West coasts, absorbing different regional cultures and earning a BA in English Literature and an MA in Art from East Carolina University.

During the 70s and 80s she was in Manchester with her family and directed a series of courses from her studio in drawing, weaving, pottery, sculpture, and papermaking. She was also visiting lecturer at Leicester Polytechnic for 10 years and short course tutor at West Dean College in Chichester for over 20 years.

Since moving to Eastbourne in 1988, she has continued to teach workshops and exhibit throughout the UK and Europe. She has work in the Arts Council collection and has done commission work for the

Elda Abramson Transparency and colour

LOCAL ARTIST PROFILE

‘The inks convey both delicacy and strength’Duchess of Westminster, the Royal Northern College of Music, Dylon Dye Headquarters and Dow Chemical (London) as well as many private clients.

She is currently working with inks for their combined qualities of transparency and intensity of colour, which convey both delicacy and strength.

Her 2009 programme includes workshops in Eastbourne throughout the year and painting holidays in Crete, Ireland and Italy.

■ Go to www.elda-abramson.com or contact Elda at Upper Flat, 12 West Terrace, Eastbourne BN21 4QX, telephone 01323 648494, or email elda.abramson@btinternet.com

Above: Tulip, below: Freesias in a blue vase

Photo: Valerie Maclean

20 The Towner Times

The Norah Sande Awardat Eastbourne College

NOW IN ITS FOURTH YEAR, the Norah Sande Award is open to young adult pianists resident, training or working in Kent, Surrey, Sussex or London. It’s a chance for Eastbourne’s musical audience to see and hear young pianists of outstanding talent and exceptional ability who are making their debut in the world of professional performance.

BRIGHT YOUNG PIANISTS

The Friends were recently captivated by the performance of the 2007 winner, Caroline Tyler (below), having previously enjoyed a programme presented by the 2006 winner, Kodo Osada. The trustees of the Award are delighted that the winner of the 2009 Award has been scheduled into the Friends’ diary later this year.

The competition to find the winner will take place at Eastbourne College on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 July. On Saturday, 15 pianists will each bepresenting a 20-minute programme. After a professional adjudication, the three finalists will be announced and they will perform the following day.

You’re warmly invited to drop into the College theatre at any time throughout Saturday’s competitions – 9.30am-6pm, admission is free! – and to the Final the next day, starting at 2pm, details below.

■ Tickets for the Final are £7 for Friends, £1off the full ticket price

■ Send applications for tickets to The Award Office, 70 Kings Avenue, Eastbourne BN21 2PD, or telephone 01323 729013

■ Go to www.sande-award.co.uk for more about the event

Summer 2009 21

FRIENDS EVENTS

Come and join us! There’s something for everyone

How to bookTo book any event, send cheques payable to ‘Friends of the Towner’ with your request and SAE to Wendy Bishop at 2 Kesselville Court, 42 St John’s Road, Eastbourne BN20 7NB, or telephone 01323 731607.

Become a FriendIf you’d like to join the Friends of the Towner, your membership will help support and assist Towner art gallery while the benefits to you include:

■ priority booking for Friends’ events at concessionary prices

■ a free invitation to all previews of exhibitions staged at the gallery

■ a free copy of The Towner Times, published quarterly with a cover price of £1.50

■ concessionary prices for all pay exhibitions at Towner

All this at a rate of only £10 for 2009 (or £15 per couple). Contact Wendy Bishop, see above, or go to www.friendsofthetowner.org.uk to find out more about the Friend’s work, other types of membership and to download an application form.

WE HAVE AN EXCITING programme of events over the next few months so do book early as it’s bound to be popular. Don’t forget that Friends receive £1 off the listed price for all events.

Please note that the majority of art talks will take place at Towner while music events will now be in the newly refurbished Gold Room at the Winter Garden.

Last chance!

Art talkGreat Tarts in Art:High culture and the oldest profession

Junction Box, TownerTuesday 16 June, 7.30pm £8

This mixture of historical analysis and scandalous anecdote will be presented by art historian, lecturer and guide at the Tate, Linda Smith. It takes a a light-hearted look at changing attitudes to sexual morality by examining the protraits and careers of famous mistresses and courtesans.

Tickets available at the door.

FOR OVER A CENTURY the Proms have been at the centre of Britain’s musical life. Inspired by impresario Robert Newman and first presented by conductor Henry Wood, they have developed into a national - now international - celebration of music making.

The world’s greatest musicians have taken part, revelling with their audiences in that special atmosphere the concerts generate.

From their inaugural year, the Proms have been innovative in presenting ‘new’ music and challenging audiences with a whole range of musical genres, but always keeping the mainstream ‘classics’ at their heart.

Using recordings from actual Proms performances, eminent operatic writer and lecturer Paul Campion will tell of

MUSIC TALK

22 The Towner Times

Paul CampionThe history of the Proms

Gold Room, Winter Garden Tuesday 14 July, 7.30pm £8

the successes and achievements (and occasional mishaps) that have entertained audiences and made the sheer fun of the Proms into the world’s greatest music festival.

■ Go to www.bbc.co.uk/proms/2009 to find out more about this year’s Proms programme and pick up your guide, RRP £6, from all good bookshops

Summer 2009 23

ART TALK

Sara Cooper, curatorTowner Collection past, present and future

Junction Box, TownerTuesday 21 July, 7.30pm £8

DO JOIN US TO HEAR Sara Cooper talk about the Towner Collection and her role as curator. Born in Chester, Sara came to Eastbourne from Norwich where she was Collections and Exhibitions Officer at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts at the University of East Anglia.

In her role, Sara is responsible for organising the exhibitions in the Collection Gallery, on the first floor of Towner, and

for purchasing new works to add to the Collection. She will talk about the Collection’s beginnings in the 1920s, the move from the old Towner to the purpose-built store in the new gallery, to hopes and ideas for the future of the Collection.

This informative, behind-the-scenes talk is bound to provide a fresh new look at the collection. Do book early.

Edward Bawden was a great friend of Eric Ravilious and this picture by him, September: 8.30pm (Newhaven) was Sara’s first acquisition for the Collection

Summer 2009 25

Angela Bic and Robin DavisPiano and song

Gold Room, Winter Garden Tuesday 1 September, 7.30pm £11

MUSIC EVENT

THE GERMAN SOPRANO, Angela Bic is of Romanian and Chinese descent and her vibrant personality makes her an exciting performer. In 2008 she was the first-prize winner of the Richard Lewis Award at the Royal Academy of Music, where she still studies.

Accompanying her on piano for this programme of opera and song is Robin Davis who has worked closely with many top singers and conductors. He recently won the accompanist’s prize in the Elena Gerhardt Lieder competition, and the Webb accompanist’s prize at the Royal Academy of Music – part of the Richard Lewis Award.

EVENTS

TO MARK THE OCCASION of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the King of Swing – Benny Goodman – the Dave Shepherd Quintet will be performing some of the great music that made Goodman such a storming success in the 30s and 40s.

Dave Shepherd who is no stranger to Towner audiences is widely regarded as the leading swing clarinetist in the country and is one of the ten members that make up The Great British Jazz Band. He will be joined by Roger Nobes on vibes, John Pearce on piano, Len Skeat on bass and Stan Bourke on drums.

There is more space now that jazz events are held in the Gold Room but tickets will be much in demand so early booking is strongly advised.

Dave Shepherd QuintetJazz evening

Gold Room, Winter GardenTuesday 25 August, 7.30pm £12

ART LECTURER DOUGLAS SKEGGS will be taking a new look at the paintings of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals. From this perspective we’ll hear about the flowering of Dutch art in the 17th century, a period when Holland was often referred to as ‘the garden of God’.

Douglas Skeggs is an expert in this field: he read fine art at Magdalene College, Cambridge and has given over 4000 lectures. It has been said of him that he makes legend as real as history and history as vivid as legend.

He has written and presented various TV documentaries, notably the Omnibus programme on Whistler and the exhibition video on William Morris. He has also had three solo shows of his paintings in England and Switzerland and has published five novels, translated into eight languages. His book on Monet, River of Light, has sold 30,000 copies in England, France and the US.

Douglas SkeggsArt in the garden of God

Junction Box, TownerWednesday 16 September, 7.30pm £8

26 The Towner Times

Summer 2009 27

SUPPER EVENING

Dr Johnson’stercentenaryMansion (Lions) Hotel Friday 11 September, 7.30pm £17

THIS YEAR IS THE 300th anniversary of the birth of Dr Samuel Johnson, the illustrious English literary figure, who compiled the first English dictionary and was one of the outstanding characters of the 18th century.

Celebrations of his birth – 18 September – are being planned all over the British Isles and we shall honour the occasion with a traditional ‘Johnson Supper’.

His favourite meal of steak and kidney pudding followed by apple pie and cream, washed down with a traditional ale will be served. Drinks are not included in the cost but a paybar is provided. We hope to have the meal by candlelight and to enjoy various toasts following the meal, including one to his ‘Immortal Memory’.

■ Please fill in the menu choice sheet enclosed with this Towner Times or contact Wendy Bishop on 01323 731607 for more information

■ There is a maximum of 50 for this event and the closing date is Friday 28 August, so please book early

■ Go to www.drjohnsonhouse.org to find out more about Dr Johnson and visit the celebratory House of Words exhibition at his house: 17 Gough Square, London EC4

Phot

os c

ourt

esy

of D

r Joh

nson

’s H

ouse

Tru

st

MUSIC EVENT

28 The Towner Times

Julian Lloyd WebberCello masterclass

Eastbourne College Theatre Monday 21 September, 7.00pm £11

Summer 2009 29

JULIAN LLOYD WEBBER is a world-renowned cellist who is also widely recognised as an experienced classical musical authority and arts commentator.

He will be in Eastbourne to present this special masterclass working with young players at different stages of their playing development, as well as Emily Francis, a post-graduate cellist from the Royal Academy of Music. It’s sure to be a most illuminating and fascinating evening.

Julian’s musical journey started with a scholarship to the Royal College of Music at the age of 16. He then went on to study in Geneva with the acclaimed French cellist, Pierre Fournier. Since then, he has collaborated with an extraordinary array of musicians, from Yehudi Menuhin to Elton John, and has worked to encourage and support music education and excellence in the UK.

He’s currently involved in an exciting project called In Harmony. Launched in

January this year, it’s the British equivalant of Venezuela’s hugely successful El Sistema, which resulted in the fantastic orchestra that performed at the Proms last year.

This Government-backed project encourages children from four years old to participate in music. The children come from three socially deprived communities in England – Norwich, Lambeth in south-east London and West Everton, Liverpool.

The children learn through involvement in a symphony orchestra, which can have huge personal benefits, providing opportunities to grow and develop, both socially and musically.

Julian’s other passion is Leyton Orient Football Club, and he was the first official busker on the London Underground!

Julian poses with children from the In Harmony project

■ Find out more about Julian Lloyd Webber and his work at: www.julianlloydwebber.com

‘It’s sure to be a most illuminating, fascinating evening’

Summer 2009 31

Patron The Duke of Devonshire KCVO, CBE, DL

President The Worshipful Mayor of Eastbourne

Vice President and Chairman Geoffrey Williams

Artistic Director Matthew Rowe

Hon Secretary/Events/Box office Lisa Gillette

Hon Treasurer/Tickets/Webmaster Wendy Bishop

Membership Secretary Frances Robinson

Events/Publicity Elizabeth Muir-Lewis

Membership Database Philip Anson

Eastbourne Borough Council Representative Stephen Lloyd stephenlloydlibdem@hotmail.com

Registered charity no 306339

FRIENDS OF THE TOWNER

Editor-in-chief Geoffrey Mantle geoffrey.mantle@btinternet.com

Editor Liz Silvester lizsilvester12@gmail.com

Chief reporter Frances Lloyd OBE

Design and production Nicholas Howell Graphic Design nhgd@btinternet.com

Advertising Elizabeth Muir-Lewis pridmore789@tiscali.co.uk

Photography Ron Cussons, Jane Challen

Proof reader Janet Taylor

Printing Eastbourne Borough Council Printing Services

Distribution Doreen Goldsmith

THE TOWNER TIMES

If you would like information about membership of the Friends or to book tickets, please contact Wendy Bishop on 01323 731607

EVENTS CALENDAR

1 SeptemberMusic event

Angela Bic & Robin Davis

11 September Supper eveningJohnson tercentenary

16 SeptemberArt talk

Douglas Skeggs

21 SeptemberMusic event Julian Lloyd Webber

16 JuneArt talk Linda Smith

14 JulyMusic talk

Paul Campion

21 JulyArt talk Sara Cooper

25 AugustJazz event

Dave Shepherd Quintet